No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley (1974)

Bob Marley gave songwriting credit to his friend Vincent Ford. Ford ran a soup kitchen in a Jamaican ghetto. The royalties kept the kitchen, and Ford, afloat.

Live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGqrvn3q1oo



Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x59kS2AOrGM




　


　
　

R.E.M. #9 Dream (2007)

R.E.M. covered John Lennon's "#9 Dream" for a Darfur benefit album. Lennon recorded the song in 1974. The cover marked the first time former drummer and founding member Bill Berry recorded with the band since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

R.E.M.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TFKNdcYRJg

Original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGFvlnCq-ts&feature=related

828. The Rockford Files Theme (1974)

The Rockford Files was an extremely popular television show running from 1974-1980. It starred James Garner as a less-than-gallant, but extremely human, private investigator Garner's portrayal of Jim Rockford later inspired Tom Selleck's Magnum P.I. The show's theme song written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter spent 44 weeks on the charts eventually peaking at #10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXtpoO_DlDM

836. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

Screaming "Free Bird" has become a tradition at rock concerts. This tradition was immortalized on a Beavis and Butthead episode. The song has become a southern rock anthem since its release. It also contains a ridiculously long guitar solo. During live shows, the song has sometimes lasted over 14 minutes.

Live (1975):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkTQUtx818w

Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9sGd-JLvNA

837. Seasons of Wither by Aerosmith (1974)

"Seasons of Wither" was inspired by a Massachusetts winter. Although never released as a single, the ode to the cold miser managed to become a staple of rock radio. People seemed to identify with it. In fact, looking out the window right now, I can completely understand the song.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9_-VpIVGnc

851. Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot (1974)

Gordon Lightfoot saw a roadsign leading to Carefree, Arizona and thought it would work as a song title. He wrote it down and let it sit for eight months. "Carefree Highway" is about his girlfriend when he was 22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbWM2whkVq4

935. Great White Buffalo by Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes (1974)

Ted Nugent gives a history lesson in "Great White Buffalo." He accurately details the relationship between Native Americans and the environment and how white encroachment onto Indian lands decimated the buffalo. Hunting buffalo became fashionable for easterners and the federal government adopted a policy of extermination in order to pacify Indian lands. Without the buffalo, the natives lacked food and raw materials for survival. The demise of the buffalo ended the plains way of life for native peoples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMZwS0ZonEU

940. Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin (1974)

"Cat's in the Cradle" records the life of a father with little time for his kids. It intersperses nursery rhymes to augment the feeling of detachment and passage of time. At the beginning, the man's son is born and he grows up over the course of four minutes. At the end of the song, the father proudly (and sadly) realizes his son grew up to be the same way as their roles reversed and the son had no time for him. Alienation serves as an undercurrent as the father doesn't have time for his family as modern life intervenes. The work also hammers home the idea that time is constantly moving and to treasure every moment because it might not come again.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s5r2spPJ8g

In 1992, Ugly Kid Joe covered "Cat's in the Cradle":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B32yjbCSVpU&ob=av3e